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+--- Thread: American LaFrance Closes (/showthread.php?tid=988)
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American LaFrance Closes - camdenfirespfn - 01-17-2014
http://sconfire.com/?p=2687
American LaFrance Closes - Juice - 01-17-2014
This is big! Not like the writing hasn't been on the walls for years. Another big name gone. Sad...
Trav!
American LaFrance Closes - LeadOff - 01-17-2014
Looks like the ALF death watch is finally over.
American LaFrance Closes - Guest - 01-18-2014
I am just pissed that they took LTI down with them.
American LaFrance Closes - Guest - 01-18-2014
wonder if they had any rigs on the line..
American LaFrance Closes - Truckman - 01-18-2014
Quote:wonder if they had any rigs on the line..
I would imagine that they did. Ever since they moved from Elmira, they have been slowly dying. When they were in Bluefield, that was a spark of life, but that faded as well.
American LaFrance Closes - LeadOff - 01-18-2014
I think the only aerials that were built up in Ephrata PA over the past several years were some MM aerial platforms for Buffalo and the three TDA's that were just recently delivered to Philly. Most of the activity up there was the service work on older ladder trucks in their corporate service center.
American LaFrance Closes - Guest - 01-18-2014
LTI, Snorkel and a number of smaller regional builders...oh well, who knows what the future will bring.
American LaFrance Closes - Bryce - 01-18-2014
I think some pieces of their intellectual property (Snorkel, LTI) still have value and will probably be bought by different builders during the bankruptcy process. Let's all engage in some completely baseless speculation and guess who ends up with what. I'll go first.
I think Pierce will buy the Snorkel intellectual property (Snorkels, Telesqurts, Squrts), based on nothing I know other than historically Pierce built more of those types of apparatus than anybody else. It's just too good a fit for it not to happen.
LTI is trickier. My vote is somebody will buy the LTI IP, then restart the company as an independent vendor the way it was before it was taken on by ALF.
Time will tell...
American LaFrance Closes - LeadOff - 01-18-2014
If the price is right, Ferrara may be interested in buying the LTI IP and whatever tooling they can get out of Ephrata so they can start building their own aerial products rather than buy from Smeal.
American LaFrance Closes - YeOldeEnjine - 01-18-2014
I don't think Pierce would go after the Snorkel product, Pierce already builds their own version of the Tele-Squrt called the Sky Boom....
As for the Snorkel device... I was under the belief that it needed major engineering revisions to meet current standards.
I could see Ferrara buying the LTI / Snorkel line-up.... make sense to a point for Ferrara to start building his own aerials.....
The question also remains what happens to the ALF chassis... Does someone pick up the chassis line and produce a chassis for the Body only builders..? Does a smaller body builder pick it up or does someone like Paccar or Freightliner pick up the chassis line......
Time will tell.
American LaFrance Closes - Juice - 01-18-2014
Official statement from Patriarch Partners, as posted on SConFire.com:
<b>Statement from American LaFrance, LLC:</b>
American LaFrance, LLC, the manufacturer of fire, rescue and vocational vehicles, announced Friday the closing of its warehouse, production and service facilities in Monks Corner, SC Ephrata, PA and Los Angeles.
The company is advising its customers that they will be able to continue obtaining replacement parts and service for vehicles manufactured by American LaFrance from a new third party vendor. American LaFrance will contact customers with information about where they can obtain parts and service for their vehicles in the near future.
Unfortunately, the company’s unexpected current financial condition requires the discontinuation of operations in these locations at this time and these facilities are not expected to reopen.
American LaFrance Closes - npfd801 - 01-18-2014
Quote:I think some pieces of their intellectual property (Snorkel, LTI) still have value and will probably be bought by different builders during the bankruptcy process. Let's all engage in some completely baseless speculation and guess who ends up with what. I'll go first.The Snorkel stuff has been left to languish so long, the base designs likely don't meet any sort of current NFPA compliance and would need major redesign. I heard this repeatedly when I was selling and had customers in the Chicago area that wanted Snorkels on new rigs but no one would build them, not even ALF. I would think if there was a real market, someone would have already came up with something of their own. Everyone already has their own elevated waterway line that wants one (Pierce, E\-One, Rosenbauer, Crimson). I can't prove it, but I suspect the "bucket" devices that Rosenbauer is doing for Chicago will be adaptations of Euro products in some fashion to offset design expenses.
I think Pierce will buy the Snorkel intellectual property (Snorkels, Telesqurts, Squrts), based on nothing I know other than historically Pierce built more of those types of apparatus than anybody else. It's just too good a fit for it not to happen.
LTI is trickier. My vote is somebody will buy the LTI IP, then restart the company as an independent vendor the way it was before it was taken on by ALF.
Time will tell...
***Guess I should have read the entire thread. Mr. Redundant here... Sorry.***
LTI should be interesting like you say. Everyone back in the day when I was selling predicted Ferrara would be the buyer if the time ever came. I know of at least one smaller builder that is very financially sound that I could see buying if the price was right, but they're too smart to get into a bidding war over the line.
American LaFrance Closes - firescooby - 01-19-2014
Quote:I know of at least one smaller builder that is very financially sound that I could see buying if the price was right, but they're too smart to get into a bidding war over the line.Who might that be?
American LaFrance Closes - R1SmokeEater - 01-19-2014
Man, I'm just happy our rig was fixed and returned to us this week after being at ALF for 8+ months!! Thank God we got it back before this happened!,
American LaFrance Closes - jkumb - 01-20-2014
Okay.... Future trivia question -
Who was the "lucky" loser that got the last completed piece of apparatus from ALF? And what was it? (I have no idea, just curious)
American LaFrance Closes - LeadOff - 01-20-2014
I'm pretty sure the last aerials build in Ephrata PA were the three TDA's that went to Philly. I have no idea about any ALF engines from the SC plant.
American LaFrance Closes - Juice - 01-21-2014
Quote:I'm pretty sure the last aerials build in Ephrata PA were the three TDA's that went to Philly. I have no idea about any ALF engines from the SC plant.
I think Philly was literally the last rig to be delivered, but I do wonder what's up with the Caterpillar tanker on their website. That truck is a first, and we have heard nothing about it.
Trav!
American LaFrance Closes - Guest - 01-21-2014
I've been seeing elsewhere that Spartan had been mounting LTI aerials / ladder towers on thier chassis at thier PA plant. Maybe Spartan will get them?
American LaFrance Closes - southwheatland514 - 01-21-2014
Quote:
I think Philly was literally the last rig to be delivered, but I do wonder what's up with the Caterpillar tanker on their website. That truck is a first, and we have heard nothing about it.
Trav!
Do you happen to have a photo of the tanker? I looked on ALF's webpage today, but couldn't find it.